Category: G. O. O. D.

Jim: I received the following recommendation from a buddy of mine in Houston: “I bought one of these bags for the truck. It is well made and works as a “Oh Sh*t” bag. I put a Glock19 with 8 mags, 2 bottled waters, 2 flashlights, spare batteries, a folding knife, two 50 round boxes of spare ammo and still have room for whatever I come up with. It has a shoulder strap and when adjusted properly, hangs well to the weak-side of body. The pockets are of various sizes and hold well. I take it out of the truck at …

I live in Texas so this is on my mind. But could be relative to anything… Thoughts On Disaster Survival 1. Have a bug-out kit ready at all times. 2. Renew supplies in your bug-out kit on a regular basis. 3. Plan on needing a LOT more supplies than you think. 4. In a real emergency, forget about last-minute purchases. 5. Make sure your vehicle will carry your essential supplies. 6. A big bug-out vehicle can be a handicap. 7. Make sure you have a bug-out place handy. 8. Provide entertainment for younger children. 9. Pack essentials first, then luxuries. …

Mr. Rawles, I’ve been a fan of yours for a long time. I read your novel on line years ago and it had a real impact on my thinking and my preparation efforts. I’ve been coming to your site since the second day it was on the net. I’m a former pilot in the Air National Guard and I’m a degreed electronic engineer and I presently work for a large avionics manufacturer. I’ve been giving this transportation issue (transportation availability after the Schumer hits the…) some thought and I found this very interesting web site: http://www.andygraham.net/railrod/AndyKeithRide.htm As you can see …

Dear James: Since I am tied to the outer edge of a major metro area for business and family reasons I have been wrestling with an alternative to a car or truck as a bug out vehicle (BOV).I am very worried about an EMP strike sooner or later – it just makes too much sense from an enemy’s point of view, so EMP-proofing is critical in my book. By the way, the Lights Out online novel about an EMP strike is a very good read, and it gets you thinking of many factors that are not obvious at first glance. …

While living on the dry side of the state of Oregon [eastern Oregon] while in college, my bugout plan always included heading to one of two prepped positions one a cramped remote cabin and some buckets of food and gear the other a friend who had well prepared but was too close to a highway. Circumstances would have dictated which to go to. In winter, my plan was to ski and sled in my gear. Without the assistance of a massive snow plowing network, much of the northern United States would be locked-in, once winter arrived. Almost all logging roads …

Dear Jim: I recently purchased a 1991 Ford F350 diesel truck. I had read previously on the Blog site of your recommendations on how best to outfit G.O.O.D. vehicles. Unfortunately I have been unable to find that post. I would appreciate it if you would re-post that information. Also I have a few other questions concerning this topic if you don’t mind. 1.) What type of winch do you suggest? Manufacturer, size & power, etc. 2.) Is it necessary to EMP-proof the glow plug switch? And, if so, how is that to be done? 3.) Do you suggest light assemblies …

Jim, I don’t know how recognized a Euro note would be in a U.S. crisis, especially the premium of the dollar. (“Funny money” may even be assumed to be devalued, as if Canadian.) The real concern about large Euro notes is that of presumed counterfeiting. A British friend recently told me that 500 Euro notes are essentially not legal tender for most commercial transactions, due to widespread counterfeiting suspicions. You can take them to a bank, but that is about it. Unless you need to carry substantial wealth that will be put in an operating bank at your destination, I’d …

The following anonymously-posted account is re-posted with permission from Mel’s Riser’s “My Solar Village” blog (http://mysolarvillage.blogspot.com.) Some of you might find this account is eerily reminiscent of my novel Patriots: The craziest thing about the whole Katrina fiasco was that my father in law (technically he’s just my girlfriend’s dad, but we’ve been together long enough that this is what we call him.) I always make fun of him because he keeps his garage stocked with something like 100 gallons of water, a bunch of big jugs full of treated gasoline, food, etc. He also owns quite a few guns. …

Grid-up bugouts of the non-universal TEOTWAWKI type (more like Hurricane Katrina) allow you to take advantage of modern infrastructure even if you have limited means. If your escape happens during a time where resources allow a hotel may be a better choice for those who have lost their primary residence (rural or urban) and do not have a fallback location yet. In the event of a major power outage the cellular infrastructure has several days of generator power at each tower so the ease and reliability of mobile telephony may have advantages over ham radio for contacting family. In unaffected …

Jim: Sorry about an error in my previous e-mail. After the article went out a friend told me that he couldn’t find the pack plans on thru-hiker.com. I was mistaken about where I had seen them. Gossamergear who the makes the GVP4 pack also posts plans for the pack on their web site. See the link. http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/myog.html Ray Jardine also sells a pack kit for $49.95 on his site. http://www.ray-way.com/php/order-form.php Ah, I found it!  See: http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html. Check out the Lab 2300. The first two [designs] seem unnecessarily complicated. I would take a close look at the last one. My pack …